Terrorists launch a deadly assault on a hotel in Mogadishu used by government officials and lawmakers

Two bombs ripped into a hotel in the Somali capital on Sunday and security forces fought al-Shabaab terrorist gunmen who stormed inside the building for hours afterwards, police and witnesses said.

At least 11 people were killed. Al Shabaab, which has frequently launched attacks in Mogadishu in its bid to topple the Western-backed government, said it was behind the assault on the Sahafi hotel where government officials and lawmakers stay.

Fighters entered and took over Sahafi hotel where enemies lived," Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's military operations spokesman, told Reuters. One police officer told Reuters that a car bomb rammed the entrance to the hotel and was followed by second blast, which a security guard said was a second vehicle bomb.

Police said at least 11 people were killed, including the hotel owner, a lawmaker, a former military commander, a radio journalist and other civilians. Police exchanged fire with attackers inside the hotel for about three hours after the morning assault began. One police officer said fighters had fired on them from the rooftop. The African Union's AMISOM force, which has been leading a campaign with Somali troops against al Shabaab, was also at the scene helping to clear the hotel of fighters.